- Date
- August 28, 2007, 13:15 local (19:15 UTC)
- Place
- St. Clair Rgnl., MO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N143SHRobinson R-22 Beta
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 31, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20070828018449A
- Case key
- 66836
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot overcorrected following a loss of control while practicing a hovering turn.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The student pilot overcorrected during a hovering taxi turn and the tail rotor struck the ground. The student pilot then autorotated to a hard landing which collapsed the landing gear.
Factual narrative
The student pilot was conducting a solo flight for traffic pattern practice. The pilot switched destination airports due to other aircraft in the traffic pattern. The student pilot reported completing two traffic patterns for the active runway. He then left the active runway to practice lift ups and set downs. When turning onto the taxiway the tail of the aircraft turned hard to the left bringing the nose of the helicopter to the right. The pilot reported he overcorrecting the controls and the tail rotor struck the ground. He then attempted a hover autorotation and the helicopter landed hard collapsing skids.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N143SH
- Reported as
- Robinson R-22 Beta
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 4132
- Airframe hours
- 612.7
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-J2A, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Silver State Helicopters
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 1, 2007
- Departed
- KSUS · St. Louis, MO
- Destination
- K39 · St. Clair, MO
- Airport
- K39 · St. Clair Regional, runway 20, 3,198 × 60 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 48
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 1, 2007
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 54 total · 54 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 91 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- SUS
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.